What It Means:

Deng explained the decision to not play by saying, "We're just trying to be cautious, trying to be smart. I played the last game, and it hasn't gotten any better, so I think we just want to be smart and just try to get rid of the little nagging injury that will just linger on and become something else." Look for Gerald Green to start on Wednesday in Deng's place, with the opportunity for Goran Dragic to see an expanded offensive role. Stay tuned to see if Deng will be ready to play Friday against the New York Knicks.

Deng has been decent so far this season, posting a 3.9 nERD, which ranks 47th overall. He's averaging 10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. We project all of these numbers to increase over the remaining course of the season, with Deng averaging 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.